Car owners, Unions extra happy with the permanent ouster of VIOs on Lagos roads
A cross section of private car owners in Lagos have welcomed the permanent removal of Vehicle Inspection Officers (VIO) from Lagos roads, saying the agency remains the major cause of traffic gridlock in the state.
This is as leading transport unions and some fleet operators also registered their massive support for the position of the state government on the activities of the agency.
According to Alhaji Tajudeen Agbede, Lagos State Chairman, National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW), the development would bring positive change to gridlocks across the state.
He said “The ban is a welcome development and will allow free flow of traffic across the state,” adding that “At times, some of the traffic congestions that motorists encounter are due to the activities of the VIOs on the roads”.
The transport leader however, advised motorists to visit VIO offices to renew their licences and maintain the road worthiness standard of their vehicles.
Agbede further cautioned that what happened that VIOs are no more on the roads, but their official services including issuance of vehicle license and others are still in force.
“I advise transporters and other motorists to maintain sanity on the roads and not flout traffic laws due to the ban on VIO officials,’’ the NURTW chairman cautioned.
In his response, Chairman, Road Transport Employers Association of Nigeria (RTEAN) in Lagos State, Alhaji Musa Muhammed, said that the ban would reduce the number of law enforcement agencies on the road and stressed that enforcement of traffic laws and regulations had degenerated to duplication of services by the many agencies on the roads.
He added that “The police will ask for your particulars, Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) will demand for your particulars, likewise VIOs.
“There has always been a need to reduce duplication of efforts by these agencies and it is gratifying to see that the Lagos State Government is tackling the problem,’’ the RTEAN chairman said.
Business Hilights recalls that Governor Akinwunmi Ambode had on Tuesday said VIO had been “permanently banned from all Lagos roads,” and made it further clear that the FRSC should henceforth restrict the operations of its personnel to highways and stay off state roads.
